The US military relocated aircraft from a second air base in Britain on Monday following a threat from Iran, the Wall Street Journal reported, according to people familiar with the matter, just weeks after a suspected Iran-linked security incident at the RAF Fairford air base led to the withdrawal of US bombers.
The WSJ story added that two US refuelling tankers that had been using the RAF Mildenhall military site had been transferred to Germany earlier in the morning, while several additional tankers at the base were moved to Germany and other locations later in the day. But the Journal said US authorities were still debating the precise nature of the threat to RAF Mildenhall. “We do not normally comment on the activities of other countries. Aircraft and other assets move on a regular basis as required by operations,” a British Ministry of Defence spokesperson said.
Five British men were arrested outside the RAF Fairford base in southwest England in September. The US shortly afterward removed its B-1 bombers from that air base on security grounds. U.S. bombers used RAF Fairford to carry out raids on Iran.
US evacuates planes from second UK air base over Iranian threats: report RAF Fairford exit on back of security worries.
